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Rhetorical Analysis Of Speech To The Virginia Convention By Patrick Henry

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Independence, many people struggle and fight to achieve it yet the actual battle is only part of it within this struggle is politics and influence of those who oppose the establishment and only through this influence may a new state rise. 1775, British parliament has recently instituted several unjust laws that colonists of the Americas will coin the intolerable acts war is inevitable but many colonists are still uncomfortable with the idea of fighting their country of origin in order for revolution to be achieved the general populous and the politicians that represent them must be persuaded to either independence or peace. In Patrick Henry's "Speech to the Virginia Convention" he uses allusions and rhetorical questions to appeal to logos and …show more content…

“Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have?( Henry 54)” Henry is trying to get the men in the room to question their current beliefs and open their minds to a new perspective. Throughout the text Henry sporadically places these rhetorical questions to allow the readers or audience to think about the points he has made within the speech “But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? ( Henry 54)” Using the logical sense within his audience Henry asks them how long it will take before their enemy is upon them. This is a logical argument because they do not know what British parliament plans to do and with nothing being done about both their lack of representation and the additional taxes levied on them the only logical belief is to ask questions of the unknown which in this case is Britain. Body 2 With the aid of allusions Patrick Henry appeals to ethos Henry uses allusions to ancient texts to show his intelligence through his high ranking

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